The Colmena experience - how to sustain open-source tools for non-profit media projects and having fun (A role play)

Many journalists and media activists know the dilemma: having to choose between data hungry or paid for tools. Integrated open-source solutions are rare flowers, especially for mobile devices. The reason: the coding and maintaining of software costs good money. So many good prototypes do end up in the valley of death: no funding, no fun. Colmena, a mobile newsroom kick-started in early 2020 as an open-source solution for local radios, community media and podcasters by DW Akademie shared this risk and had to reinvent itself as a co-governed technology, cherished and cared for by many quiet different supporters instead of just one. This is an ongoing experiment and we would like to share the thrilling experience of creating such a consortium within the temporary boundaries of an on-site role play. Participants of our meet up will slip into the roles of different consortium members (and its dark opponents), facing a set of challenges distilled from real life experiences, including skeptical donors, failing servers and fake experts. The role play will enable a collective reflection and a playful exchange of ideas that for one might just be a welcomed look into a vivid social tech experience but for others also stimulate new collaborative tech ecosystems to sustain some sleeping dreams...